|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| The race for technological supremacy was at its height at the beginning of the Eighties multi-cylinder, multi-valve engines were all the rage. and the latest novelty was the [[turbocharger]]. Costly, and often imperfectly engineered. The turbo proved a flash in the pan. but that didn't prevent the best of the turbo bikes from acting as a superb technological showcase for their makers.
| |
| ==High-Tech Turbos==
| |
| Launched in 1980, the Honda CX500 was the most daring attempt at producing a high-tech turbo bike. The world's leading manufacturer at the time. [[Honda]] had chosen to turbocharge a relatively small engine, and complicated the problem further by choosing a v-twin.
| |
| ==Technical Complexity==
| |
| Honda achieved its aim in a masterly manner, though at the expense of fearful technical complexity. If the original CX500 was plagued by a turbo that came in too sharply, the [[Honda CX650T|CX650T]] that followed was one of the best sports-touring bikes ever built. But it came too late, the turbo craze was over soon, and performance-hungry motorcyclists began turning towards increasingly large naturally aspirated engines. Honda had done its best to make the CX Turbo a success by employing the renowned Italian automotive stylist [[Giovanni Michelotti]], who created a shape that was as practical as it was innovative. The CX's fairing offered a rare level of protection while forming an integral part of the machine.
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| ==1979== | | ==1979== |